


All I Want For Christmas

by QuentinFuckingColdwater



Category: Iron Man (Comic), Iron Man (Movies), Iron Man - All Media Types
Genre: Awesome James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Christmas Caroling, Christmas Fluff, Domestic Fluff, Finding Peace Together, Idiots in Love, Iron Husbands, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Married Life, Mentions of PTSD, Pet Names, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Post-Iron Man 1, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has The Arc Reactor, Tony Stark is a Flirt, college sweethearts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2018-09-06 20:20:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8767870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuentinFuckingColdwater/pseuds/QuentinFuckingColdwater
Summary: Tony and Rhodey make the most of their time together at Christmas. Basically pure fluff with a tiny hint of angst thrown in for flavor





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> IronHusbands is the shit. Tony and Rhodey fit so well together and just mesh beautifully. 
> 
> I needed to write a fluffy story bc I always do angst and depressing shit o.O
> 
> Feel free to point out any errors you see

"I'm gonna pick you up at the airport, sweet tart." 

"Tones, I'm _at_ the airport. I've been here almost two hours, waiting on you..." Rhodey did the best he could to keep the not-insignificant amount of annoyance he was feeling under wraps, but Tony had promised to be there on time, and the soldier was bone tired, more than ready to lie down and take a 36 hour nap. Hell, if Tony didn't get there soon, he'd just sprawl out on the floor, his back muscles be damned, and sleep right by the gate. 

"I'm almost there, I promise. Just trying to ditch the paparazzi so they can't follow me to our...to my...to your  _surprise_." 

"Oh, God. What did you do?"

"Nothing! Nothing that can get pinned on me." Tony laughed, then cursed as the sound of squealing tires filtered through the earpiece on Rhodey's satellite phone. 

"Did you get in a wreck?" he demanded. 

"Nah, just flipped a guy off." A pause. "Do you have one hand on your hip, like you always do when you get mad at me?"

"Uh, no. I don't..." Looking down, Rhodey realized he had indeed assumed said pose, and he sighed.

"I'm here. Terminal 3, Gate B, right?" 

Tony was standing next to a fairly nondescript BMW coupe, painted hot-rod red, of course, wearing sunglasses and...no goatee?

"Did you shave?"

"You wanna do a strip search?" He cocked an eyebrow at Rhodey, letting the glasses slide down his nose.

"A strip...? How does that...?"

"We're at an airport. They do strip searches. Anyhow...get in the car. I got a surprise." 

"An expensive surprise?"

"If I say yes, are you going to be mad?" There was no missing the hurt in his voice and a hint of fear, a glance into his painful past that Rhodey was still learning about. 

"I'm not mad, I'm just-I just thought I asked you not to waste money on me..." The back hatch hid his face from Tony's gaze as he threw his duffel bag in the back before sliding into the passenger seat. It was still adjusted exactly the way he liked it, and it felt like  _home_. The same way that his boyfriend's smile could warm his heart and had got him through college and basic training. 

"It's not a waste!" Tony exclaimed, his hands flying off the steering wheel for a terrifying moment. "And it's for  _both_ of us, so it doesn't count. You never said that I couldn't get us both something. Plus you never really put a price limit on presents."

They were driving through unfamiliar neighborhoods, nowhere close to the glittering modernity of Manhattan. "Is this Astoria?"

"Got it on your first guess! I bet J it would take you two. Technically it's Astoria Heights, so you were half right..." he let his voice trail off as they pulled the coupe in front of a  small town home with a tiny front porch. 

"Are we staying here for the weekend?"

"Not exactly." 

He slid out from under the steering wheel, all grace. "C'mon in, honey bear. I'll give you the official tour. It's two bedroom, one bath. Remodeled kitchen. The basement needs work, but I can hire someone to fix that up. Plus no one would suspect  _me_ of owning property here," he had replied archly, tossing a key underhanded to Rhodey. "You and me, spending every second of your leave together?" 

Rhodey's jaw dropped. "You...you bought this? For us?"

"Merry Christmas, handsome." Tony was trying to unlock the stubborn deadbolt, but that didn't stop the soldier from shoving him against the door frame and kissing him until they were both breathless. "Easy there, Slim Jim. Let's go inside. We got a whole two weeks together and I don't want to rush things."

"What do you suggest we do with our time?" Rhodey asked coyly, cocking his hip out at an angle as he looked down into his boyfriend's luminous eyes. 

 "First off, we gotta buy furniture and art. I know you don't like any of my interior designers, so I figured we would get stuff together. And paint, of course. I already got plans drawn up for a little workshop in the basement. Nothing too big, you know. I plan on coming out here to relax, I swear. Just sometimes I have ideas that I have to follow through  to completion...Are you laughing at me?" Tony's excitement fled all a once, his hands dropping to his sides as his eyes lost their spark. 

"No, no, Tones! You're just...so adorable when you're excited." 

"O-okay?" The lock finally clicked and he let them into the house- _their_  house. The living room was open and led into the kitchen. The floors were hardwood and wide crown molding flowed through the space, accentuating the ten foot ceilings. "So do you like it?" Tony asked shyly.

"I love it, baby. Y'know, I had something  _else_ in mind. Was kind of expecting you to hit on me in that over-the-top way you have and then we'd take off where we left off on the porch."

"Do you _want_ me to hit on you? Cos I will. Right here." He flung one arm out, pointing at one of their new neighbors who was staring in their front picture window. "See, we even have an audience, honey bear." With his free hand, he pressed a button on his fresh-out-of-the-lab StarkPhone. 

"'I find myself in a strange situation...'"

"Oh, God. Tony, no..." Rhodey groaned, burying his face in his hands. 

"Tony, yes! 'And I don't know how...what seemed like a strange infatuation is so different now...'"

"Tones..." 

"'I can't get by if we're not together, oh can't you see?'" 

"'Boy, I want you now and forever.'" 

Rhodey wrapped his arms around Tony's shoulders and they began to sway back in forth, in the classic middle school slow dance pose and they let Foreigner do the singing for them. Their feet slid across the glossy floor, squeaking quietly. "You know I love you, right?" he whispered, running his fingers down Tony's spine. 

"I love you too, honey bear." He paused, swallowed, opened his mouth once, twice, before changing his mind and resting his forehead on Rhodey's chest. 

"Baby, what is it?" 

"You'll always come back to me, right?" Tony's eyes were bright with tears, his voice trembling just slightly. His press mask had finally fallen off out of view of the public, except for the prying neighbor, who, Rhodey noted, was still watching. They needed to invest in curtains, and soon. 

"I promise." 

"Merry Christmas, Rhodey." 

"Merry Christmas, Tones." 


	2. (All I Want For Christmas) Is Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Rhodey's first Christmas after the events in IM1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A second chapter?!?!?! Whaaaaat?!?

"Honey! I'm home!" Rhodey let his duffel bag fall to the floor and slammed the door behind him. Fresh out of a meeting with his higher-ups about Iron Man, he wanted nothing more than to crawl in bed with Tony and not get up for anything, up to and including the apocalypse. 

He froze instantly when Tony shouted, "Don't turn the lights on! In fact, turn around! It's not finished yet!" 

"Tones, baby, are you working on the remodel? Did you tear the wall out?" 

"Not quite. I'm almost done, I promise." The genius let out a strangled laugh. "You're turned around, right? Close your eyes too." 

"Can I guess what you're doing?" Rhodey tried. 

"Yeah, 'course, sugar plum." 

"You bought that stripper pole we talked about, and you're practicing your routine so you don't fall on your head." 

Tony laughed again. "No. Not even close." 

"Did you blow something up in the basement and destroy the floor in there?" 

"I've never done anything like that!" 

"MIT. Freshman year, Bexley hall? Does that ring a bell?"

"They should've renamed it Stark Hall after I had to pay for them to rebuild my room and finally fix the leaky roof and shitty plumbing." He sounded sad all of a sudden, broken down and reliving memories that he'd rather forget. 

Rhodey kicked himself mentally. "Can I come in, baby?" 

Something crashed to the floor. "Uh, yeah." He emerged from their living room, dressed in a button up shirt and rumpled trousers. The faint smell of pine clung to him as the soldier wrapped his arms around him and lifted his boyfriend off the floor. "Easy there, tiger!"  The hard shape of the arc reactor pressed against Rhodey's sternum; the gentle blue glow cast their shadows on the walls when they pulled apart.

Grabbing Rhodey's hand, Tony said quietly," I hope you like it." He reached his free hand up and flicked on the light switch. "Merry Christmas." 

A huge live tree dominated the space, covered in blown glass ornaments and silver tinsel and twinkling strands of lights. Even though every branch drooped downward under the weight of the decorations, the angel on top still touched the ceiling. Presents were already stacked halfway up the walls, clearly wrapped by Tony himself with careful precision. "Holy shit. It's perfect, Tones," he whispered reverently.  

"The angel was mom's. When we still tried for family Christmases, she always let me put it up there on top. She'd let the nanny do everything else except that. I don't have any of her other ornaments left. She had some Waterford crystal ones special made for her, but I ended up breaking most of them." Tony tucked himself against Rhodey's side, watching the lights with an odd half smile on his face. "She was  _not_ happy and in turn Howard got pissed..." 

"Baby..." 

"I miss them. Especially this time of year," he finally admitted after a long moment of silence. "We would go to Midnight Mass together. I loved the candles and trees and wreaths. And the carolers...I can still hear them singing Silent Night under my window, after I was supposed to be asleep." 

"Do you want to go to mass?" 

"No, I don't think so. I don't believe anymore, you know? Not since the accident." Tony took a deep breath. "And especially not after Afghanistan and Obie."

"What do you want to do? Stay in, just you and me and hope for a snowstorm so we'll be stuck here, cos that's what I'm hoping for."

"That sounds perfect. I wish we could stay here forever."

"Yeah, about that...I actually got a question for you, baby."

Rhodey would've had to be blind to miss the flash of terror in Tony's eyes, so he rushed on. "Wait, hold on," he mumbled, fumbling around in his jacket pocket. "Um, Tony. I've been wanting to do this for a while. We've been together since college and I love you so fucking much. I can't imagine my life without you; I don't  _want_ to imagine any of this without you by my side. The three months when you were M.I.A. were hell, but I never believed I lost you. I knew you were holding on out there. I could  _feel_ it. So, Anthony Edward Stark, will you marry me?" 

"Holy shit. Are you serious?" Tony demanded incredulously, his eyes going wide. 

"I've never been more serious in my life. I'll give you some time to think about it, okay? There's no rush." He started to put the ring box back in his pocket, only to have Tony snatch it out of his hands. 

"Yes." 

"You need more time? Okay, baby. Take all the time in..."

"I'm saying yes, asshole." The genius planted a noisy kiss on his boyfri-no, his  _fiance's_  cheek. "I love you so much." 

"Love you too, Tones. More than anything." 

"Merry Christmas, honey bear." 

"Merry Christmas, future Mr. Rhodes." 

"Hey! Why can't _you_ change  _your_ name? Colonel Stark? I like the sound of that." 

"Just because you have a huge military kink..." 

"That's not the only huge thing I got." He winked and waggled his hips. 

"Jesus, Tones..." 

"We can figure out the name situation later. For now..." Tony shoved Rhodey back a half step. "There. Perfect." 

"What...?" He looked up and saw mistletoe hanging over him. "You're perfect." Tony looked down and away, brushing one hand across his arc reactor. "You're perfect," Rhodey repeated. "Everything about you is perfect and I'm the luckiest guy in the world." 

"I think I hold that title, actually." 

"Shut up and kiss me." 

"Yes, sir!" Saluting with surprising sharpness, Tony leaned up on his tiptoes and pressed his lips to Rhodey's. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If Tony had been setting up a stripper pole, my guess for what song he'd dance to would be either 'Pour Some Sugar on Me' by Leppard or 'Can't Get Enough' by Bad Company. I might do a fic for that lmao 
> 
> Tell me what you thought of it, yo. I'm not sure if all of the dialogue flows good :/
> 
> Until next time, dudebros <3


	3. All I Want For Christmas (is forever)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Rhodey's first Christmas post-Ultron

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is significantly more angsty than the last two chapters but there is a happy ending and a lot of sweet moments between them

* * *

_“…to blame for this catastrophe? The clear answer is Tony Stark…”_

  
Rhodey called the news anchor every bad name he could think of and switched channels, resisting the urge to throw the damn remote at their state-of-the-art television. The next news station wasn’t any better.

  
_“…the cost, both human and monetary, is beyond comprehension. So why, I ask you, are we not demanding compensation from the one person who is to blame?”_

  
Thankfully, Tony wasn’t home. He’d texted Rhodey an hour earlier, promising that he was finishing up his business at the Tower and would head his direction as soon as humanly possible.

  
After Ultron, his husband had withdrawn into himself like he hadn’t in years. Some days, the former colonel couldn’t find anything recognizable in Tony's eyes. Some days, Tony disappeared into this workshop for hours, eventually wandering out with bruised hands and hunched shoulders…

  
His phone dinged, drawing him out of his thoughts. It was Tony, of course.

  
_Omw, have to pick up a few things first. Love u_

  
_Love you too_ , Rhodey sent back, and smiled. They had a long weekend together; Pepper knew that they spent Christmas together, and she always made sure to clear out her boss's schedule no matter how many projects and people were vying for his time.

  
He was at a loss, Rhodey admitted to himself. He wasn’t sure how to fix this, how to get things back to the way they were _before_. Not just before Ultron, but before the Avengers too. They weren’t the same people that they were, and while he knew that was a normal part of being alive, some part of himself that he didn’t want to acknowledge was _terrified_ that they were growing apart.

  
That thought was almost too much to bear. He shivered, shook his head violently. No.

  
The sound of his phone receiving a text drew him back to reality. He half-expected, his heart heavy, for it to be Tony cancelling their weekend. Thankfully, it wasn’t that. Rhodey felt himself smiling at his phone. Thank God his plans for Tony's surprise had come together.

  
The front door started to open, and Rhodey cursed under his breath. He hadn’t heard Tony pull up, which wasn’t unusual since his husband always drove an entirely forgettable and quiet vehicle to their hideaway.

  
He jumped up to help Tony with anything he might be carrying- presents? Food? The latter was unlikely, as the genius had slipped back into his old habit of forgetting to eat.

  
“Hi, honey bear. I’m home.”

  
Tony looked absolutely exhausted, and older, somehow. Rhodey moved to give him a hug, only to notice that Tony was clutching a gallon bucket of paint in each hand. “Let me take those from you, Tones,” he said gently. “Are we painting the basement?”

  
“I need to make a change,” Tony replied vaguely, his gaze distant.

  
He had bought two different colors, the first a gentle blue like the spring sky, and the second a light grey.

  
“The kitchen…” Tony continued after a short pause. “I wasn’t sure what color you’d like but I had to get something.”

  
Currently, their kitchen was a deep, rich crimson. It had been an inside joke between them, an echo of Iron Man's colors. Now that Rhodey looked at it with critical eyes, he noticed that it almost, _almost_ resembled blood.

  
“I like the grey.”

  
That got an approximation of a smile out of Tony.

  
“Are you thirsty, baby?” Tony nodded. “Hot chocolate okay with you?” Another nod.

  
Rhodey went to work on their complicated coffee-maker. The thing could brew liters of coffee without breaking a proverbial sweat, but it seemed to have a grudge against the former colonel. It beeped angrily at him as he touched the buttons, and he was about to voice his thoughts to his husband when Tony started speaking.

  
“You watched the news recently?” Tony's voice cracked, and he took a huge gulp of air before going on. “’Course you have. You’ve seen what every single news station is saying, and they aren't wrong.”

  
Before Rhodey could open his mouth to object, his husband plunged on. “I made Ultron, thus Sokovia rests on my shoulders. Not entirely…I’m not that egotistical. He gave a hard laugh that sounded like it hurt deep in his chest. “I’m going to make it right.”

  
The last sentence was a cold statement, thin threads of sadness and anger and pure hurt running through his voice.

  
“The grey- it’s very ‘War Machine’. I thought you’d pick this one, but I wanted to give you options.” Rhodey felt like he had mental whiplash from the sudden turn of emotions. Tony sounded bright, cheery suddenly, like he was making an effort.

  
“Tony…” he began cautiously, turning his back on the cantankerous machine. “Tony, baby…”

Tony's hand shot up in the air, his eyes rolling towards the ceiling. “If I can guess what you’re going to say, will you just not?” Rhodey gave a quick nod. “I’m thinking you were gonna say something along the lines of ‘it’s not your fault. You couldn’t have known. We are all to blame for this terrible catastrophe.’ Am I right?”

  
“Please, Tones. I don’t want to get in a fight over this.”

  
“Neither do I. But I can’t just _forget_. I can see Sokovia burning every time I close my eyes. Ultron mocks me in my dreams, and I’m reminded of how I _failed_ at every interview, every time someone looks at me with disgust and hatred.”

  
Abandoning the coffee machine, Rhodey sprinted across the kitchen and pulled his husband into his arms. Tony let out a choked sob and buried his head in Rhodey’s shoulder. “Do you want to paint the kitchen tonight?”

  
Mumbling something incoherent, Tony shrugged.

  
“It's up to you, baby. We can paint, we can watch a movie, we can cuddle. Whatever you want, alright?”

  
“What if I want to braid your hair and tell horror stories?”

  
Rhodey laughed. “That’s just fine with me.”

  
“You’re too good for me, Slim Jim.” Tony pulled away and stared into his husband's eyes.

  
“You deserve the best of everything, Rhodey replied seriously. “I'm a lucky man.”

  
Tony finally smiled. “That’s true. So am I.”

  
They stood interlocked, swaying back and forth to a song only they could hear, until the doorbell rang.

“Are you expecting company?” Rhodey shook his head, fighting to keep a serious expression in place. “Huh. It's times like these that I wish I had a disguise to wear to answer the door.”

  
“You should’ve got Groucho Marx glasses like I suggested. Or you could throw a towel over your head.”

  
“If it’s reporters, I can’t promise that I won’t dropkick them straight off the porch.”

  
Laughing at that mental image, Rhodey gently pushed Tony away. “Go see who it is. When you come back, your hot chocolate will be ready and waiting for you.”

  
“Promises, promises.”

  
As soon as the door was open, Rhodey heard the visitors announce “Merry Christmas!” Tony gave a strangled gasp as they began to sing. The former colonel collected the mugs he had stashed in the sink and filled them with hot chocolate, balancing them on a tray.

  
Tony was standing out on their porch, staring at the carolers with his mouth hanging open as they transitioned from “O Come O Come Emmanuel” to “Silent Night.” He didn’t seem to notice the freezing air or the snowflakes drifting down and sizzling when they struck the candles each of the carolers held in their gloved hands.

  
They paused and accepted the hot chocolate from Rhodey. “Thank you!” the leader of the small group said cheerfully.

  
“No, thank you,” Tony replied thickly, eyes shining.

  
“We got one more song for ya. Any requests?”

  
“’All I Want For Christmas is You'.”

  
Rhodey put one arm around Tony's shoulders and pulled him against his chest. “Merry Christmas, baby,” he whispered.

  
The carolers drank the last of their hot chocolate and gave the mugs back to Rhodey. “Thank you,” Tony said softly, his eyes bright. He threw his arms around his husband, careful not to knock the mugs out of his hands. “Thank you,” he repeated, his voice thick with emotion. Snowflakes had settled in his air and his cheeks were pink from the cold; Rhodey didn't think he had ever seen anything more beautiful.

  
They remained interlocked as they went back inside; Rhodey reluctantly pulled away to deposit the dirty dishes in the sink.

  
Tony stood still for several seconds before sitting down at the kitchen table. He seemed lost in thought, his hands folded in front of him on the scarred wood, which could be a good or very bad thing. He did look up when Rhodey sat across from him. “Thank you,” he said for the third time.

  
“You’re welcome, Tones.”

  
“You remembered that I told you about the carolers that I loved when I was little. You listened…” His voice took on an almost incredulous tone.

  
“I always listen to you, babe.”

  
“I never thought I would have this.”

  
Rhodey raised an eyebrow but didn’t speak, letting his husband collect his thoughts.

  
“This….us, always seemed too good to last,” Tony eventually went on, gazing at some spot over Rhodey's head. “And yet…here we are.”

  
“I’m going to be here for you _forever_ , Tones. Til death do us part.” He leaned across their kitchen table, took Tony's hands in his. “I'll love you as long as I’m alive, and into whatever comes after.”

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tell me what you think! I know it's a little for Christmas but I couldn't get this idea out of my brain. <3 also pls let me know if you spot any grammar or spelling errors

**Author's Note:**

> Please let me know what you think! My first time writing a dedicated IronHusbands fic so I'm sorry if its not v good 
> 
> This may turn into a series of one shots
> 
> Until next time my dudes <3


End file.
